Port News

Panama Canal Authority CEO Jorge L. Quijano said that it’s possible for Nicaragua and its Hong Kong backer to build a rival canal in five years, but it’s not a “feasible investment from a private investment standpoint.”

The container logjam at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will be cleared within three months, the top officials of both ports said today at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach. But that’s only the beginning of the herculean rebuilding task the Southern California ports face.

Don’t blame ocean carriers and bigger container ships for congestion at key ports; blame insufficient investment in equipment, dredging and automation at U.S. marine terminals, speakers said at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach.

U.S. containerized imports in 2015 will increase a paltry 1.7 percent, dragged down by West Coast port congestion, JOC Economist Mario Moreno told the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach on Monday.

Matthew Shay, president of the National Retail Federation, on Monday called on Congress and the Obama administration to change how unionized port labor and waterfront employers negotiate agreements so “the interest of thousands” can no longer threaten the livelihood of millions

The U.S. faces many challenging port issues but chief among them is a system of labor-management relations that fails to consider the interests of the ultimate customers, the chairman of Kuehne + Nagel told TPM 2015 in Long Beach on Monday.

The Indian federal government pledged to go ahead with its plans to make major ports independent companies instead of government-controlled landlord ports despite fierce opposition from the highly unionized labor force.

Cargo interests undoubtedly are relieved that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association reached a tentative contract deal on Feb. 20 after more than nine months of unexpectedly difficult negotiations, but now it’s time for importers and exporters to reassess their commitment to West Coast ports.

PSA International kick-started work on its $350 million expansion of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust after signing a contract related to dredging and reclamation work for a fourth container terminal at India’s largest container gateway.

The three major chassis providers in Southern California finalized an agreement Friday that should guarantee equipment availability and eliminate the costly shuttling of chassis among 11 of the 13 container terminals in the largest U.S. port complex.